Nerolidol

Definition: Nerolidol is a terpene with a soft floral, woody, and slightly citrus aroma. It’s found in cannabis, jasmine, ginger, lemongrass, tea tree, and neroli oil from bitter orange blossoms. It usually appears in cannabis in small amounts. Lab research has explored nerolidol’s antifungal, antiparasitic, and sedative properties, but it hasn’t been tested in human cannabis studies.

What Is Nerolidol?

Nerolidol is a sesquiterpene alcohol with the formula C15H26O. The perfume industry uses it for its long-lasting floral, fresh-bark scent, and food makers use it as a flavoring. It’s also been studied as a skin penetration enhancer that helps other compounds absorb through the skin.

What Does Nerolidol Smell Like?

Nerolidol smells floral and woody, with hints of fresh bark, apple, and citrus. It’s subtler than loud terpenes like limonene or pinene, rounding out a strain’s bouquet rather than defining it.

What Are the Effects of Nerolidol?

Research is early and mostly in lab dishes or animals. Studies have reported antifungal and antiparasitic activity, and some rodent studies found sedative and anxiety-reducing effects. You may see claims that nerolidol fights cancer, but that work is limited to cells in a lab and shouldn’t be read as a treatment claim.

Where Is Nerolidol Found?

Neroli (bitter orange blossom) oil, jasmine, ginger, lemongrass, tea tree, lavender, and cannabis all contain nerolidol.

Related terms: Terpenes, Bisabolol, Humulene, Eucalyptol

Sources: PubChem: Nerolidol; Russo EB, British Journal of Pharmacology, 2011.